All You Need To Know About Long COVID

After a known or suspected case of COVID-19, the term "long COVID" is used to describe signs and symptoms that continue for weeks or months. Your symptoms may vary and come and go over time, affecting your entire body. The disorders have been dubbed "long COVID-19 syndrome" or "post-COVID-19 syndrome" by these persons who define themselves as "long haulers."

Post-COVID-19 conditions are a term for these health problems. COVID-19 side symptoms that last longer than four weeks after you've been diagnosed with the virus are typically regarded to be COVID-19 side effects. COVID-19 symptoms can last for weeks to months in older persons and people with a variety of significant medical issues, but even young, otherwise healthy people might feel ill for weeks or months following infection. To find out more info on Long COVID, read on.

Long COVID Symptoms

Following are the symptoms visible in individuals that can persist for weeks or months -

1. breathlessness
2. severe exhaustion (fatigue)
3. Memory and attention issues (sometimes known as 'brain fog')
4. a cough that hasn't gone away since you've had it COVID-19.

Following is the list of other visible signs and symptoms of Long COVID -

1. sleeping problems (insomnia)
2. dizziness
3. needles and pins
4. joint discomfort
5. Heart palpitations; chest discomfort or tightness (require immediate attention, therefore get medical treatment as soon as possible)
6. Anxiety and depression
7. tinnitus, earaches, nausea, diarrhoea, stomach pains, and appetite loss
8. a fever, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes in your sense of smell or taste, and rashes

Other Damages by Long COVID

• Organ Damage

COVID-19 is known to be mostly a lung illness, although it can also impact other organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain. Organ damage may result in long-term health problems following COVID-19 infection. Long-term breathing issues, cardiac troubles, chronic renal damage, stroke, and Guillain-Barre syndrome – a disorder that causes temporary paralysis — are all possible long-term health impacts in certain people.

After receiving COVID-19, some adults and children develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome. In this scenario, some organs and tissues become substantially inflamed.

• Blood Clots And Blood Vessel Problems

COVID-19 may cause blood cells to clump together and form clots. While big clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, cardiac damage is caused by COVID-19 largely and is considered to be caused by small clots that clog tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the heart muscle.

Blood clots can harm the lungs, legs, liver, and kidneys, among other organs.COVID-19 can also weaken and leak blood vessels, potentially leading to long-term liver and kidney problems.

• Mood & Fatigue

COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms are frequently treated in a hospital's critical care unit, requiring mechanical breathing help such as ventilators. Simply surviving this ordeal might increase a person's risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety in the future.

Since the long-term consequences of the novel COVID-19 virus are difficult to predict, scientists are looking at the long-term impacts of similar viruses, such as the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Many people who have recovered from SARS have developed chronic fatigue syndrome, a complicated condition marked by intense weariness that worsens with physical or mental exertion but does not improve with rest. It's possible that those who have undergone COVID-19 are in the same boat.

Endnotes

Still much is unclear regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19, although research is underway. Doctors should regularly follow persons who have undergone COVID-19 to evaluate how their organs perform once they have recovered, according to the researchers. It's also vital to keep in mind that most COVID-19 patients recover rapidly. However, due to COVID-19's long-term implications, it is even more essential to take measures to protect the virus from spreading. Wearing masks, social distance, avoiding crowds, obtaining a vaccination when available, and keeping hands clean are all precautions to take.

Also read: Tips to Choose the Right Health Insurance in Times of COVID-19